Boneshaker

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

YA all the way

After reading great books like the Hunger Games and The Knife of Never Letting Go, I wondered what makes a book, Ya. I thought It meant no sex, but a..Show More »fter reading this book, I now know it means, it reads like it was written by a youth.

The concept of the story was pretty good, reminding me of Sanderson's "Elantris" and the movie," Escape From New York". Unfortunately, CP failed to capitalize on a great story Idea.

Briar Wilkes the main character has no character. She is a boring droll individual. I could easily understand why her husband was bored with her.

I have never heard so many cliches in one book in my life.

Even the Zombies are boring in this book. The mad scientist is pretty tame and lame.

I will admit that I did listen to all of it, because I did want to find out what was going to happen and there was a small twist at the end.

Cherie is not going to break out of the YA category with this type of effort.

I enjoyed Wil Wheaton's performance and Kate Reading was good in all, but her interpretation of Briar Wilkes. She did not help make her real, using the same voice she used for Aes Sedai. While it worked for Aes Sedai it does not work for a Mom with a son in danger.

Clementine: A Novel of the Clockwork Century

Maria Isabella Boyd's success as a Confederate spy has made her too famous for further espionage work, and now her employment options are slim. Exiled, widowed, and on the brink of poverty, she reluctantly goes to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago. Adding insult to injury, her first big assignment is commissioned by the Union Army. In short, a federally sponsored transport dirigible is being violently pursued across the Rockies, and Uncle Sam isn't pleased.

Fun!

No Pulitzer prizes here. This is a quick story with an interesting cast and some unique action sequences. For a good time, call Clementine.

Dreadnought

Nurse Mercy Lynch is elbows deep in bloody laundry at a war hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when Clara Barton comes bearing bad news: Mercy’s husband has died in a POW camp. On top of that, a telegram from the west coast declares that her estranged father is gravely injured, and he wishes to see her. Reaching the Mississippi is a harrowing adventure, but that's just the beginning.

Mercy Lynch: nurse extraordinaire

Dreadnought is the third book from the so called Clockwork Century, preceded by Boneshaker and Clementine (novella). One might think that having alrea..Show More »dy been introduced to the brass gears and levers of this war-torn continent some of the mystery and attraction might already have been spent. Not so. The travel story and adventure of Southern girl and Nurse Mercy Lynch is still very much a good and intriguing tale. We already know what a dirigible is, which instead of taking away some of the wonder of the story gives up space for the more human wonder of this desperate journey across a continent ravaged by a never ending civil war. I always feel somewhat dubious about a series where instead of having one continuing story about one or more people it instead picks up somewhere else completely with a new set of main character. Here though I felt that Mercy Lynch more than made up for the lack of Briar Wilkes, she is just as strong and just as determined, but thankfully in a different way.
No, I tell a lie. We do in fact briefly meet Briar Wilkes, which was an added bonus.
Anyway. I did like the book and if you liked Boneshaker I think you will too

Ganymede: Clockwork Century, Book 4

The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he’s happy to run alcohol guns wherever the money’s good, he doesn’t think the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side-effects. But becoming legit is easier said than done, and Cly’s first legal gig - a supply run for the Seattle Underground - will be paid for by sap money. New Orleans is not Cly’s first pick for a shopping run. He loved the Big Easy once, back when he also loved a beautiful mixed-race prostitute named Josephine Early - but that was a decade ago, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Too many inconsistencies and missed Kate Reading.

The Clockwork Century series had really had me as a serious follower. Boneshaker was the first "Steampunk" book and actually the first audiobook that ..Show More »I ever listened to. It was this book that really got me into listening to audiobooks, I'm always trying to find one better and there have been a few, but in different genres, none in Steampunk. The following two were decent as well. Unfortunately, Ganymede disappointed me too many times in just the first two chapters and I was unable to get over this.

The first disappointment was the reader. It seems as though Eduardo Ballerini didn't pre read this book or even read the previous books. There were many times throughout the whole book where character voices lead into narration, this was tough to discern what was going on. I had to basically just forget the female voices, which wasn't hard since they all sounded the same anyway, and listen for myself to find the narration. Pre reading the book would have helped this. If Eduardo had read the previous books, or even better, listen to them. He would have found that princess Angeline did not sound like a princess, due to a throat injury, that Lucy was a gruff and tough older woman, not a bartender that is trying to get sweet on all her customers, and that Jeremiah Swackhammer was not an old elderly guy, just because he has a daughter in her twenties. Even though the story is no where near as great, I believe I would love this audiobook still if it was reread by Kate Reading. I didn't appreciate her during the readings, but her characters were top notch and can't be beat.

Second disappoint was the inconsistencies in the story. I have only gotten through half the story at this point but it is enough to piss you off that the writer, of all people, didn't even keep care to keep points consistent. Cly met Mercy at the end of Dreadnought... This one overlook almost ruined the book for me. As well, it never mentioned before Josphine and Ruthie went out to the pirate town that she had received Cly's response, however, two days later Ruthie magically got back to the boarding house, even though it was touch as nails to get to the pirate town, and mentioned that Josephine received the tap. This seems to me like it was something that should have been celebrated, or maybe offer up some instructions to the other ladies on what to do when he gets there, but instead the ladies just knew exactly what to do with Cly when he showed up...

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this audiobook on any other grounds but to follow up with the Clockwork Century. Hopefully any future CC books are paid more attention to previous details and read by Kate Reading ONLY.

Jacaranda: A Novella of the Clockwork Century

On the island of Galveston, off the coast of Southeast Texas, lies a hotel called the Jacaranda. In its single year of operation, two dozen people have died there. The locals say it's cursed. The Rangers say that's nonsense, but they know a man who might be willing to investigate. Horatio Korman crosses the water from the mainland and hopes for the best.

Western Meets Ghost Story

This is the 1st in the series I've read... I was impressed and entertained... This short novel/long novella really is unique... I don't recall read..Show More »ing, or hearing of, a ghost story w/ a western type setting and characters... Think dark western meets The Shining and you'll almost have it... Gothic Western maybe??? Nevertheless, an original and imaginative plot w/ some very likably tragic figures...Difficult not to get invested in the Padre... The mood was intense yet ephemeral... You feel like you're catching something outta the corner of your mind, and then it's gone... Good ghost story amplified by the darkness of the storm weaving it's way through the tale... The narration was superior, suitable gravitas and sobriety... Definitely worth a credit even for a shorter work...